Five YSU players may be suspended

Source: Routine drug test shows players failed, could be held out of FCS semis

YOUNGSTOWN -- On the heels of one of its biggest games in the past 20 years, the Youngstown State football team is dealing with some potentially devastating news.

Five players -- four starters -- may be held out of Saturday's FCS national semifinal matchup with Eastern Washington. An anonymous source said the players failed a routine drug test following the Jacksonville State game in round two of the playoffs.

A YSU spokesperson said he could neither confirm nor deny the reports. The spokesperson did say that the NCAA can randomly choose when to test student-athletes.

According to the anonymous source, two of the players were starters on offense and two others started on defense. The final one was a role player. The possibility of losing four starters is a huge blow to YSU (11-3), which takes on an Eastern Washington team (12-1) that is on an 11-game win streak and beat Richmond 38-0 in last weekend's quarterfinal. The Eagles are the No. 2 overall seed in the FCS playoffs and have one of the top offenses in the country. The game is at 6:30 p.m., in Cheney, Washington and will be nationally televised on ESPNU.

YSU's defense has been one of the best in the nation all season, and its offense has been on roll since the postseason began, but the potential losses could have major ramifications to both sides of the ball. Two of the players who could be suspended were selected to the Missouri Valley Football Conference's first team two weeks ago and two others were second-team choices.

Coach Bo Pelini held his weekly radio show Monday, and when asked about the suspensions, he replied, "I don't comment on that." His weekly press conference is today at approximately 11:30 a.m.

If the reports are true, it's doubtful the players would be able to play in the national championship if the Penguins win Saturday. The suspensions, according to the source, could stretch into next season. The winner of YSU-Eastern Washington plays the winner of the North Dakota State-James Madison game, the other national semifinal, which will be played at 7 p.m., Friday in Fargo, North Dakota. The national title game is Jan. 7 in Frisco, Texas.

Continue reading the Tribune Chronicle or check tribtoday.com and @tribchronsports on Twitter for further details regarding the situation.